Daniel Arzani will officially become a Manchester City player this weekend, before heading to Glasgow early next week to begin a two-season loan with Scottish giants Celtic.

UpdatedUpdated 03/08/2018

By
Dave Lewis

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The Socceroos starlet completed his medical on home soil ahead of the $500,000 switch from Melbourne City to big brother club Manchester City.

And he is due to arrive in Lancashire on Saturday to conclude formalities over his Aaron Mooy-style transfer before boarding a plane to Scotland to link up with Australia teammate Tom Rogic at Parkhead.

Rogic has been instrumental in Arzani’s decision to shun more lucrative offers elsewhere, with Premier League powerhouse Tottenham Hotspur among those courting the 19-year-old playmaker before he opted for the Celtic via City option.

The Hoops will have an option to buy should Arzani and the club hit it off.

There were also offers from Ligue 1 side Stade Rennais and 2.Bundesliga outfit Fortuna Dusseldorf, but the opportunity to play alongside Rogic under go-ahead coach Brendan Rodgers won the day.

Rogic and Arzani have been chatting for several weeks over the merits of moving to the double-treble winning Hoops, who kick-off the new Scottish Premiership season at home to Livingston on Sunday (AEST).

Rodgers’ men entertain AEK Athens in a UEFA Champions League qualifier four days later.

Having not kicked a ball competitively since his three Socceroos cameos at the FIFA World Cup, Arzani will be eased into Celtic football fraternity without undue haste by Rodgers, who has convinced the ostentatiously talented teenager that his philosophy is tailor-made to bring out the best in him.

Sources in Scotland suggest that though the length of the loan is two years, both parties will convene at the end of the season to re-assess what Arzani and his agent, former Socceroos enforcer Vince Grella, hope will be the beginning of a beautiful relationship between player and club.

Unlike Mooy, who was loaned and then sold to Huddersfield on his arrival in England, Iranian-born Arzani doesn’t possess a European passport nor the requisite number of Socceroos appearances to meet English FA visa requirements.

The system, however, is less onerous in Scotland, which was another plus in Arzani’s decision to remain under the umbrella of the City Football Group. For the time being at least.